play hardball

Idioms

Act aggressively and ruthlessly, as in It's only a month before the election, and I'm sure they'll start to play hardball. This term originated in baseball, where it alludes to using the standard ball as opposed to the slightly larger and minimally softer ball of softball. It was transferred to describe aggressive behavior only in the 1970s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So, with the deal expected to close in the fall, county officials decided to play hardball.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

NBC News reported that in April 2017, 59% of Democrats supported compromising with Trump and Republicans on legislation, while 33% wanted them to play hardball.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2025

“I’m not going to say, ‘oh, I’m going to play hardball with China,’” Trump said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

My husband wants to play hardball and just go the traditional way and pay for the reception dinner.

From Slate • Aug. 14, 2023

Now that the issue was in the works and Belmont was moving forward, Howard sensed that it was time to play hardball.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023